


Marriage Customs

by amyfortuna



Series: 2016 Season of Kink (Card 1) [13]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Anal Sex, First Time, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Weird Elven Sexual Mores
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:52:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7715551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Uldor arrives at Himring to meet with Maedhros, but meets Caranthir instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marriage Customs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maitimiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maitimiel/gifts).



> Dear Maitimiel - I was intrigued by your prompt about seeing the 'human behind the traitor' and the time he spent at Himring. Though this deals exclusively with the beginning of Uldor's relationship with the Fëanorians, I think you can begin to see where it started to go wrong, even this early on. 
> 
> I picture Uldor as looking [like this](http://zeroatthebone.tumblr.com/post/123505493616/if-you-dont-headcanon-sendhil-ramamurthy-as-uldor) and Caranthir as looking [like this](http://66.media.tumblr.com/bbc1446fbf71053e3b5db6e3d0b1186e/tumblr_nq1j15l2nw1sqop9ro1_500.jpg).
> 
> This also fulfils my Season of Kink square for 'Barebacking/Unsafe sex' - it's unsafe both physically and emotionally!

The wind was fresh from the snow on the heights of Dorthonion, crisp and cold. Uldor shivered in his cloak as he, on horseback, was led up the mountainside in gruellingly steep switchbacks to the fortress of Himring high above. The towers and battlements at the top of the keep, made of old stone firmly planted, looked as though they had been there since the dawn of time itself, unshakeable, firm. And yet they were delicate, beautiful, soaring up into the sky, bright banners snapping in the wind. Uldor could just glimpse the heraldry they bore - nine banners in total. 

One, on the highest tower, bore the symbol of the House of Fëanor, and just below it, the master of the keep, Lord Maedhros' symbol waved. On a lower tower was the heraldry of Maglor, the famous singer and harpist, and nearby hung the two symbols of Celegorm and Curufin. 

The other side of the castle was home to a dark banner - that of Caranthir, Lord of Lake Helevorn - and two strange banners floated near his, very similar to each other. 

The final banner Uldor could only make out as they approached the final climb to the great gate, and it was of three white gems on a golden tree, like flowers. They seemed to shine even though they were only representations of the true Silmarils, as if the beauty of the Silmarils was imbued even into pictorial representations of them. 

At the head of the column, someone shouted to a face peering down from the wall next to the gate, and a moment later, the gate swung open, creaking ponderously. It was a thing of reinforced steel wrapped around wood, heavy and strong and also somehow still beautiful. The metal was forged into the shapes of twisted branches that never really resolved into trees, and shone silver-bright in the sun, as though it had been newly made.

They swept into the entrance courtyard in a rush of jingling metal spurs, and Uldor drew his horse to a halt not far inside. Just behind him, the gate was already being closed. Gingerly, he dismounted - he'd ridden long today, and the day before, ever since meeting the Elvish escorts that would accompany his party back to the fortress. 

A tall elf stood on the steps leading up to the fortress proper. He was dark of hair and grey of eye, and listened to the report that the leader of the escort gave him with a surly frown, though his words, when he spoke, seemed courteous enough. After a short time, the leader, Hadanel, turned toward Uldor, beckoning him closer. 

Uldor stumbled forward on unsteady feet. "My lord, this is Uldor son of Ulfang of the Easterlings, as you requested. Uldor, I present to you Lord Caranthir of the House of Fëanor," Hadanel said. 

Caranthir nodded. "Well met, Uldor," he said. "My brother Maedhros is away on the northern marches, and has asked that I conduct our negotiations with your people. I trust this will be well? He has empowered me to make the most appropriate decisions for our mutual benefit." 

"Yes, that is well," Uldor said. The elf's voice was musical, even more so than typical of Elves, and his eyes, now that Uldor could see them properly, shone silver-grey in the afternoon light with the curious _lachenn_ he had heard the Sindar speak of. He also - Uldor could not help noticing - looked almost otherworldly, mixing both beauty and ugliness in a way that was uniquely appealing. 

Caranthir gave him another brief stern nod. "You must be weary after your journey." He turned to Hadanel. "Please show him to the prepared rooms, and then you are free to seek your own rest." 

"Thank you, my lord," Hadanel said. "I'm sure my wife is expecting me." 

Caranthir smiled, seeming to relax a little. "Eleniel would have come to greet you but her guard shift does not finish for another hour." He glanced across at Uldor. "Do you leave behind a wife, young man?" 

"I am unwed," Uldor said. "My family have yet to arrange a marriage for me." 

Caranthir gave him a slightly stunned look, a flush creeping up his face. "Arranged...marriage? Such a custom is strange to us." Uldor sighed, mentally preparing to launch into an explanation of the benefits of arranged marriages, but Caranthir shook his head. "If you will, I'll hear more later, and not keep you from your rest." 

\----

The great hall of Himring was high-ceilinged and broad, full of trestle tables and small groups of Men and Elves (sometimes mixed groups) eating together. To one side of the room, off by themselves, Uldor caught a glimpse of his guide Hadanel and an elven-woman who could only be his wife Eleniel. She was teasing him, merriment written in every gesture, her smile bright and full of happiness. 

Uldor briefly wondered how long they had been wed - indeed, how old they both were. Hadanel seemed near his own age, if he had been mortal, a youth just maturing into manhood, and Eleniel only a little older than him, but for all he knew, they had both lived thousands of years already. At least they did not have the strange _lachenn_ that dwelt in Caranthir's eyes, but were Green-Elves of Ossiriand who had joined themselves to Caranthir's people for protection and shelter. That much Uldor knew, from his conversations with Hadanel on the road. 

Strange and haughty though Caranthir was, he was also oddly charming, with a face that blushed easily. Uldor found himself grinning over his memory of Caranthir's blush when marriage was mentioned. He seemed so painfully young, so innocent of the ways of lust, that Uldor could not resist picturing him lying in bed, naked, flushed and panting. Did that blush go all the way down? 

A young man, dark hair in braids halfway down his back, hurried over to him. "Greetings, Uldor of the Easterlings," he said. "Lord Caranthir asks that you come to his table, if you will." 

Uldor nodded, beginning to follow the youth. "So are you one of Caranthir's followers?" 

The young man shook his head. "Not as such, no. I'm Belmir, from Dorthonion, of the house of Bëor. Most of my people fled west in the Battle of Sudden Flame, but my father - I was but a child then - fled east with us, and came to Himring only a day before it was besieged. By the grace of lord Maedhros we have lived here ever since, and I have sworn my service to him." 

"And how is he, as a lord, to serve under?" 

Belmir gave a short laugh. "Truth be told, he is hard to read. At times he is like a remote statue, fair but cold. In battle he is all rage and burns as if with an inner flame. But he has a weakness for children - my small sister dares to climb up and sit on his shoulders, and he lets her do it with a smile. She was born here and knows no other walls." 

They had reached the table at the front of the room, only slightly more elaborately laid than the rest of the tables, and Caranthir looked up, giving Belmir a nod. "Thank you, Belmir," he said. "Come, Uldor, sit, and while we eat, you may tell me of your marriage customs." 

Uldor toyed with his food for a moment, thoughtfully, before he looked up to meet Caranthir's eyes. "There is not much, in truth, to tell," he said. "When we come of age, or soon thereafter, our parents choose the most appropriate mate for us to wed, sometimes someone we know, sometimes not. We have a right to refuse if we cannot see a way to ever learning to like the other person, but this happens rarely. Are the customs among the Eldar so different?" 

Caranthir flushed again. "We choose our own mates," he said. "We fall in love, and wed, and so are bound together for all of time." 

"Have you never fallen in love, then?" Uldor asked, grinning, just to see how much more he could make Caranthir blush. 

Caranthir ducked his head. "Many times, but never with one who returned my feelings. I often find those attractive who do not think me so in return." 

"You marry based on finding one another attractive?" Uldor said. "Why not bed the person and have done with it, no need to bind yourself for the rest of time based on what may be a passing feeling?" 

Caranthir was taken aback, visibly shaken. "Do you bed others outside of the marriage bed, then?" 

"Of course!" Uldor said. He was neglecting his food in favour of watching the Elf-lord stammer and blush like any fourteen-year-old, but could not bring himself to look away. He leaned forward confidentially. "Do you mean to tell me you have never sampled those pleasures, then, in all your long life?" 

Caranthir brought his hand up to cover his own mouth. After a moment, he shook his head silently. 

Uldor gave him a smile ripe with flirtation. "We should fix that, you and I." He popped a bite of the deliciously succulent roast chicken into his mouth. 

Seemingly struck silent, Caranthir brought his other hand up to join the first, and contemplated Uldor for a moment. Then, slowly and solemnly, with the air of a child doing something incredibly naughty and a little dangerous, he nodded. 

\-----

Caranthir caught up Uldor's hand as soon as the door was firmly closed and locked behind them. They had come to Caranthir's chambers, and Caranthir had sent the servants away, claiming that he wished to speak with Uldor privately about the treaty between their peoples. 

But in reality he had been half-falling over himself with blushes and stammering, throwing downcast glances toward the bedroom until Uldor was surprised that the Elves serving him had not immediately figured out what was going on. He could only rationalise it by telling himself that if all Elves were similar to the ones he had so far met, they would never conclude that what was happening was a whirlwind sexual affair, because Elves just didn't do those things, strange as it seemed. 

He let himself grin as Caranthir took his hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the knuckles in a sort of strange courtly gesture, then glancing up and flushing again at the look on Uldor's face. "I'll let you lead this, shall I?" he said. "The last time I tried to court someone was very long ago by your reckoning indeed, and this isn't..."

"...A courtship?" Uldor filled in, lighthearted. "Don't be worried, I'll take good care of you. I'm often praised for my skills," he added, laughing, and bent forward, wrapping his free arm around Caranthir's waist, and kissing him. They were almost of a height, Uldor tall for his people, and Caranthir average for his, and Uldor only had to reach up just a very little to align their mouths perfectly. 

Caranthir kissed him back passionately if inexpertly, and Uldor began to be truly excited about the evening ahead. He'd always thought the idea of taking someone's virginity to be dull rather than otherwise, and that Elves were too cold and distant to really make good bed partners, but perhaps Caranthir would be the exception on both counts. 

The door to the bedroom was standing open, and after a moment of kissing him, Uldor guided Caranthir through it, kicking it shut after them. The bedroom was dark and quiet after the door was closed, a few candles the only illumination, the black curtains drawn. 

"Take off your clothes," Uldor said, when Caranthir simply stood there for a moment, unsure how to proceed. They stripped in near-silence, stealing glances at one another. Caranthir's skin was pale but his body honed and well-muscled. Uldor took a quick look at his cock - he was not over-endowed but a fair size, comparable to his own, and already hard. 

Uldor wasn't hard yet, but looking at Caranthir was sending warmth throughout his body, and he could feel the first stirrings of arousal when Caranthir modestly turned away to set his garments aside and inadvertently showed off his buttocks. Uldor finished taking off his clothes in a hurry, setting them down on a chair, and made his way over to Caranthir. 

Starting nervously, Caranthir moved away, but Uldor reached out for him. "Shh, don't worry," he said. "Do you have oil?" 

"There's massage oil in the top drawer," Caranthir said, pointing to a nearby dresser, and then, confused, "but why do you want oil?"

"It makes things more pleasurable, between men," Uldor explained, opening the drawer and removing the vial he found there, unstoppering it to check the scent - a faint almond, perfect. He sauntered toward Caranthir, standing as if frozen next to the bed, his face half-forbidding, half-eager. "Do you want to touch me?" 

Even in the dim light, Uldor could see Caranthir flush bright red again, a wash of colour that swept across his face and down his chest. His cock, too, was bright red, and strained toward him as though it had no compunctions whatsoever about touching him. After a moment, Caranthir extended his hand, laying it on Uldor's shoulder, and pulled him close. 

This kiss was much improved over their first; Uldor reflected that Caranthir was a quick learner at the very least. Caranthir thrust his cock against Uldor's and suddenly arousal wasn't just simmering under the surface but leaped to the forefront of Uldor's mind. This Elf - and whatever else may have been happening, this was Uldor's first time bedding an Elf - was clearly more hot-blooded than his followers, definitely open to experimentation. 

Still kissing him, Uldor pushed Caranthir back onto the bed until they were tangled together in the furs. He barely managed to get the vial of oil onto the bedside table before it spilled. Coating his fingers in the slippery oil, he dragged them up and down Caranthir's cock, until Caranthir threw his head back, gasping, on the verge of coming. 

The noise he made when Uldor drew back - disappointed frustration that almost verged on anger - sent fire through Uldor's veins. He pressed his hand to his own cock, coating it with the remnants of the oil, then guided Caranthir's hand to it. Caranthir jerked him quickly, roughly, in just the way Uldor loved, in a way that brought him too close almost too fast. It took every ounce of willpower for him to draw back, but this wasn't how he wanted to come. 

He reached for the oil again. "I want to ride you," he said, slicking Caranthir's cock up again, and then to Caranthir's startled amazement, sinking down on him without further ado. Caranthir was speechless, beyond words, thrusting up helplessly into Uldor. His cock burned like a brand inside him, with so little preparation, but Uldor enjoyed the pain of it and rode it out, clenching his teeth. 

After a moment, his body adjusted to him, and Uldor took Caranthir by the shoulders and leaned forward to kiss him, rocking up and down on Caranthir's cock. Caranthir kept making half-suppressed noises of pleasure, muffled by their kisses, now open-mouthed and filthy. When he came, he tore his mouth away from Uldor's and roared out his pleasure, pounding into him several times, then holding his hips still with his hands. 

His erection did not seem to go down; Uldor moved against him experimentally, and discovered to his delight that Elves - at least sexually frustrated virginal ones - had no refractory period. 

Uldor hadn't come yet, and took the opportunity of a moment after Caranthir's orgasm, as he laying panting and wild-eyed, still hard but not yet ready to go again, to bring his hand down and slowly jerk himself off, enjoying the thought of coming all over the Elf's pale torso. But Caranthir was ready for more before Uldor could get close to climax. Knocking Uldor's hand away, he pulled Uldor close, then rolled them both over so that Uldor was underneath him. 

"I always wanted to do this," he said, drawing himself up. He slowly slid out of Uldor, then pressed back in, firm and implacable. Uldor closed his eyes, enjoying the slight stretch of his muscles, and the pleasurable sensations that shot through him as Caranthir slid across his prostate. This time Caranthir did more of the work, and he was relentless about it, building slowly up to his peak. Uldor, after a moment, wrapped his legs around Caranthir's waist, and began touching himself again in time with Caranthir's thrusts. 

He came seconds before Caranthir did, watching Caranthir's face go slack-jawed and hazy with pleasure, pounding into him. Caranthir collapsed down on top of him, and Uldor slid a hand through his hair. "Good, isn't it?" he said. "Why would your people save this for marriage?" 

"It was our custom," Caranthir said, sliding out of him, and falling down beside him. Uldor turned, wrapping an arm over Caranthir's waist. "It was given to us by the Valar. But my people have no reason to think kindly of the Valar, not anymore, not now, not here." 

"You should have done this years ago," Uldor said, grinning at him. The smile that Caranthir rewarded him with verged on sappy; suddenly a horrible feeling clutched at his heart. 

"I'm glad I waited for you," Caranthir said. 

Uldor repressed a cringe of embarrassment on his behalf - surely the Elf wasn't falling for him! "You weren't half-bad for a first-timer," he said instead, trying for teacherly and patronising. 

Caranthir either completely failed to notice the patronising tone, or choose to ignore it. "I'm sure you have much more you could teach me," he said, laying his head down on Uldor's shoulder. "Continue tomorrow?" 

"If you wish," Uldor answered, but Caranthir was already almost asleep. Uldor, however, lay awake in the darkness for some time, fighting a war between his head telling him to get out now versus his cock, which was quite pleased to stay. 

Eventually, he shrugged. Caranthir was a grown Elf, and responsible for his own feelings. Uldor would do what was best for his people, in the end, no matter how many pretty Elves threatened to complicate things.


End file.
